U.S. Gastroenterologists Endorse Fiber Choice® Chewable Prebiotic Fiber Supplement With A "#1-Recommended" Rating[1]

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IM HealthScience^® (IMH), innovators of medical foods and dietary supplements, today announced that a high-quality, nationwide survey, conducted among a representative and projectable sample of U.S. gastroenterologists, revealed Fiber Choice^® as the #1-recommended chewable fiber brand.¹

The results of a ProVoice survey, fielded in June 2019 by IQVIA, showed Fiber Choice a strong leader in recommendations by gastroenterologists.¹

This endorsement reflects ongoing good patient experiences and feedback with Fiber Choice as well as scientific news flow. In particular, the results of an important patient-reported outcomes study, entitled CIFPRO (Chewable Inulin Fiber Patient Reported Outcomes™), were peer reviewed and presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting in 2018.⁴  CIFPRO, a real-world study of patients who took Fiber Choice, provided confirmatory evidence – in combination with results from a previous randomized clinical trial⁵ – demonstrating improved bowel regularity, rapid symptom improvement, and patient satisfaction with Fiber Choice fiber supplement.

Inulin, the well-studied, 100 percent natural, prebiotic soluble fiber in Fiber Choice, is found in 30,000 fruits and vegetables.^{2 3} In clinical trials, inulin has been shown to help support digestive health, including support of regularity.⁴  Additionally, inulin supports the growth of the body's own beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, in the colon.

"Dietary fiber is known for keeping our bodies regular," said Michael Epstein, M.D., FACG, AGAF, a leading gastroenterologist and Chief Medical Advisor of IM HealthScience. "Most importantly, it's essential that you get enough fiber in your diet. One way to do that is to supplement your daily intake of dietary fiber with natural, prebiotic fiber supplements."

Less than 3 percent of Americans get the recommended minimum amount of fiber, and 97 percent need to increase their fiber intake.⁶ Although the recommended daily fiber intake is 25 to 38 grams,⁷ most Americans only get about half that amount. This "fiber gap" reflects a diet with relatively few high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and is a large enough issue for the U.S. government to deem it a "public health concern" for most of the U.S. population.

To help bridge this gap, gastroenterologists recommend fiber supplements, including Fiber Choice chewable tablets and gummies. For physicians, it's a simple, convenient, and tasty way to help patients get the fiber needed for overall good digestive health.

Fiber Choice can be found in the digestive aisle at Walmart, CVS, Target, Rite Aid, and many other drug and food retailers.

About ProVoice Survey
ProVoice has the largest sample size of any professional healthcare survey in the U.S., with nearly 60,000 respondents across physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, optometrists, dentists, and hygienists, measuring recommendations across more than 120 over-the-counter categories.

IQVIA fielded a survey in June 2019 among U.S. gastroenterologists for IM HealthScience. The ProVoice survey methodology validated the claim, at a 95 percent confidence level, that "Fiber Choice^® is the #1 gastroenterologist-recommended chewable fiber supplement."

About CIFPRO™ Study
The CIFPRO (Chewable Inulin Fiber Patient Reported Outcomes™) study, a real-world study of 185 patients taking Fiber Choice^®, was presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting in October 2018. The study included 185 self-reported responses to a nine-question online survey from November 2017 to July 2018 from individuals who received a physician-dispensed sample of the supplement.

Data from the patient reported CIFPRO study showed that

• 84.9% of respondents said they were extremely satisfied or satisfied with Fiber Choice.
• More than two-thirds (70.8%) of respondents rated their bowel regularity as very much improved or improved while taking Fiber Choice.
• 87.6% of respondents indicated they would be likely or very likely to recommend Fiber Choice to others, and its taste was rated as good to excellent by 93.5% of respondents.
• Most respondents (80.6%) suffered from irregularity every day or a few days per week.

About Fiber Choice^®
The Fiber Choice^® brand of chewable fiber tablets and gummies are made of inulin [pronounced: in-yoo-lin], a natural fiber found in many fruits and vegetables. The inulin in Fiber Choice is sourced from a vegetable (chicory root). Inulin works by helping to build healthy, good bacteria in the colon. It keeps food moving through the system, supporting the digestive tract and aiding in regularity.

Research shows that the digestive system does more than digest food: it plays a central role in the immune system. The healthy bacteria that live in the digestive tract promote immune system function, so prebiotic fiber helps nourish the body.

The usual adult dosage with Fiber Choice Chewable Tablets is two tablets, up to three times a day, and for Fiber Choice Fiber Gummies it is two gummies, up to six per day.

About IM HealthScience^®
IM HealthScience^® (IMH®) is the innovator of the medical foods IBgard^® and FDgard^®, for the dietary management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Functional Dyspepsia (FD or recurring indigestion), respectively. IMH rounds out its line of digestive products with Fiber Choice^®, a well-known, natural, daily prebiotic chewable fiber that helps with regularity. The sister subsidiary of IMH, Physician's Seal^® (PS), is the innovator of REMfresh^®, the first and only continuous release and absorption melatonin (CRA-melatonin™) supplement for sleep. REMfresh is a 99 percent ultrapure melatonin that mimics the way the body naturally releases and maintains melatonin over a 7-hour period.

IMH is a privately held company based in Boca Raton, Florida. It was founded in 2010 by a team of highly experienced pharmaceutical research and development and management executives. Both IMH and PS are dedicated to developing products to address overall health and wellness in digestive health and sleep. The IM HealthScience and Physician's Seal advantage comes from developing products based on patented, targeted-delivery technologies, including IPP^® (Ion-Powered Pump^®) and SST^® (Site Specific Targeting®) technologies. For more information, visit www.imhealthscience.com to learn about the company, or www.IBgard.com, www.FDgard.com, www.FiberChoice.com, and www.REMfresh.com.

References:   

¹ IQVIA, ProVoice Survey June 2019: Among gastroenterologists recommending chewable fiber tablets and gummies
² Apolinário AC, De Lima Damasceno BPG, De Macêdo Beltrão NE, Pessoa A, Converti A, Da Silva JA. Inulin-type fructans: A review on different aspects of biochemical and pharmaceutical technology. Carbohydr Polym. 2014;101(1):368-378. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.09.081
³ Ghavami A, Roshanravan N, Alipour S, et al. Assessing the effect of high-performance inulin supplementation via KLF5 mRNA expression in adults with type 2 diabetes: A randomized placebo controlled clinical trail. Adv Pharm Bull. 2018;8(1):39-47. doi:10.15171/apb.2018.005
⁴ Lacy B, Epstein M, Shah S, Corsino P. Improved regularity with a chewable inulin fiber (CIF): results from a Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) study. In: American College of Gastroenterology Annual Conference - Philadelphia, PA.; 2018.
⁵ Micka A, Siepelmeyer A, Holz A, Theis S, Schön C. Effect of consumption of chicory inulin on bowel function in healthy subjects with constipation: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2017;68(1):82-89. doi:10.1080/09637486.2016.1212819
⁶ Moshfegh A, Goldman J, Cleveland L. What We Eat in America, NHANES 2001-2002: Usual Nutrient Intakes from Food Compared to Dietary Reference Intakes - U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.; 2005.
⁷ Institute of Medicine. 2005. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10490.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice of a physician or other health care professional. You should not use this information for diagnosing a health problem or disease. The company will strive to keep information current and consistent but may not be able to do so at any specific time. Generally, the most current information can be found on www.fiberchoice.com. Individual results may vary.

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SOURCE IM HealthScience